Soldiers from the 372nd Engineer Company return home for Christmas

There was a special homecoming for more than 100 soldiers in Waukesha, just in time for Christmas.

WISN 12 News reporter Nick Bohr has the tearful return of 146 soldiers separated from their families half a world away for months.

The landscape couldn't be more different, and neither could the environment, for 146 soldiers with the U.S. Army's Pewaukee-based 372nd Engineer Company, deployed for seven months in Afghanistan but now back home in Waukesha County.

The 146 soldiers gathered at the Waukesha Expo Center on Tuesday afternoon with eager families all around. They all made it back home after their time in Afghanistan, and after a brief ceremony, the reunions were on.

"It's huge. You can only pray for things like that, to get to your family on Christmas. It's my gift and I see by a lot of their faces it's their gift, too, so, it's pretty happy," Sgt. Margaret Schultz said.

"It's in a war zone, so, a lot of worry, a lot of concern, so, it's a relief," said Margaret's father, David Schultz.

"I am beyond ecstatic, this is the best, bestest Christmas present ever to have my son home," Sarah Millie said.

"I'm more than happy right now, I can't even put it in words. It's overwhelming," U.S. Army Spc. Andrew Millie said.

Though the troops are certainly happy to be back home, they're also proud that the various infrastructure construction and restoration projects they worked on in Afghanistan remain there as a testament to their service.

The members of the 372nd are Army reservists based in Pewaukee. When they're not deployed with the Army, many of them are carpenters, masons, plumbers and students.

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